“Six Core Principle” Recipients NamedOther Awardees to be Announced Shortly

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (July 19, 2017) — Michael Buffer, professional ring announcer, will host the Fifth Annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards, presented by Brown-Forman, on Saturday, September 23rd in Louisville, Ky, at the Marriott Louisville Downtown. Buffer is world renowned for his tuxedo image and famous trademarked phrase “LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!TM” (“LGRTR”). He is one of the most recognized faces in the world of sports and entertainment today. Buffer’s enthusiastic and ‘adrenaline boosting’ winning attitude is sure to bring energy to the event as six young humanitarians from around the world, age 30 or younger, will be honored for their humanitarian work. Each of these young adults will receive an award that mirrors one of Muhammad Ali’s Six Core Principles – Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality – which aligns with their respective fields of work.

Gavin Armstrong, age 30, Toronto, Canada will be honored for his Confidence in advocating against hunger and malnutrition. He is the Founder and President of Lucky Iron FishTM, a social enterprise attempting to alleviate iron deficiency around the world using a simple health innovation. He was a Fulbright scholar at Auburn University and he was awarded the prestigious Forbes 30 under 30 in the Social Entrepreneur category in 2016.

Mohammed Ashour, age 30, Austin, Texas will receive the Conviction Award. He is the co-founder and CEO of Aspire, a company that develops the most advanced insect farming technology in the world. Aspire targets markets that utilize insects for applications in nutrition, biomedicine and agrochemicals with a vision to alleviate global food insecurity. With expertise in business development, finance and strategic partnerships, Mohammed leads Aspire’s operations and growth in the United States and Ghana. In 2015, he was recognized as a “Top MBA Impact Maker” by McGill University and in 2016, he was inducted into the renowned Forbes 30 under 30 list.

John-Son Oei, age 30, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia will receive the Dedication Award. He is the co-founder and CEO of EPIC, a company that aims to build relationships between the urban and rural divide through the activity of building homes for underprivileged Malaysian communities. John-son has been involved in the social development scene as an Ashoka Changemaker, was awarded as a promising young leader under the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia in the Social Entrepreneur category in 2016, was Malaysia’s official flag bearer for the 2012 Commonwealth day in the presence of the Queen Elizabeth in conjunction with the Queens Diamond Jubilee.

Iseult Ward, age 26, Dublin, Ireland will receive the Giving Award. She is the co-founder and CEO of the award-winning social enterprise FoodCloud. FoodCloud has 2,000 retail stores across the UK and Ireland, including Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and Waitrose, donating surplus food directly to over 5,000 charities through its software program. Over 18 million meals have been donated through the platform to date, with one million meals donated in May 2017 alone. In 2017, Iseult was included on Forbes 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneurs European List and named as one of Ireland’s top 25 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network.

Anoop Jain, age 30, Oakland, California will be honored for his Respect working on public health initiatives in India. He founded SHRI, an organization that fights alongside rural Indian communities to end open defecation as a key step in the struggle for health equality, and social and economic justice. Anoop received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 2009, his Masters of Public Health from Tulane University in 2013, and is currently a PhD candidate in public health at the University of California, Berkeley.

Hannah Taylor, age 21, Winnipeg, Canada will receive the Spirituality Award. At age 8, she founded The Ladybug Foundation, a charity that has raised millions of dollars and helped more than 65 homeless shelters and food banks across Canada. At age 10, Hannah founded The Ladybug Foundation Education Program to develop and distribute more than 11,000 copies of “makeChange”, a multimedia classroom resource to empower young people to change the world. “I can makeChange Online” is Hannah’s latest initiative.

The Fifth Annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards, presented by Brown-Forman, will take place on September 23rd, 2017 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown in Louisville, Kentucky USA. This charitable event of celebration and recognition will honor individuals around the world who have made significant contributions toward the attainment of peace, social justice, or other positive actions pertaining to human or social capital. In addition to awards presented to seasoned humanitarians, six young people, 30 years or younger, are honored with an award for each of Muhammad’s Six Core Principles: Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality. This event is the premiere annual fundraiser for the Muhammad Ali Center.

About the Muhammad Ali Center

The Muhammad Ali Center, a 501(c)3 corporation, was co-founded by Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The international cultural center promotes the Six Core Principles of Muhammad Ali (Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality) in ways that inspire personal and global greatness and provides programming and events around the focus areas of education, gender equity, and global citizenship. Its newest initiative, Generation Ali, fosters a new generation of leaders to contribute positively to their communities and to change the world for the better. The Center’s headquarters also contains an award-winning museum experience. For more information, please visit www.alicenter.org.

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About the Ali Center

The Muhammad Ali Center is a multicultural center with an award-winning museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali. The Center museum captures the inspiration derived from the story of Muhammad Ali’s incredible life and the Six Core Principles that fueled his journey.